Beautiful, Tom. Your best yet, I think.

Ironically this seems more precisely real despite your goal of eliminating detail -- or maybe because of it.

I love the vertical composition too.

Can you post details of the wood reflections, hands and feet? I'd also love to learn more about your process. Do you work in sections or everything all over, etc.

Hi Tom -

I was about to ask you to post the feet and the wood flooring too,

Very nice painting - and I understand what you are saying about the color.
Well put!

As requested...

Not much detail in the feet, no half-moon nails or such--just some broad, quick neutral strokes. As you can see, the floor is pretty broad-brush stuff also, no detail. It just seems more solid from a distance.

The hands don't have any more detail than the feet, really. I thought about completing the thumb, but decided not to improve on the accident of the moment.

Michele--I guess it's a global working up, rather than going from section to section. I draw the heads on the canvas in great detail in a schematic, analytical fashion instead of as an "art drawing"--a friend told me these drawings look like dissections--to teach myself the structure that creates the likeness. I seal that, and stain the heads and hands to a medium value very quickly--the drawing still shows through. I paint the overall composition to the point that I get values and atmosphere and light in some basic way. The middle period is finishing the head, pushing it out a ways and following with all the other things, pushing out and following, until the head is finished and the other stuff works to support it. Then work through the whole painting again to pull it all together. Not anything radical.

Tom,

If you are inching along I feel that you are in Paris inching up the steps at the Louvre while I'm still trying to inch down I-40 in Kernersville.

I love all of your work and am happy at your recent development.

In particular your handling of the floor and wall in relation to Frannie is very Sargentesque. And what a job on the girl. Such subtlety.

I applaud you.

Oh,those little feet - I might just cry.

I so appreciate that you are such an accomplished professional painter and that you are so impassioned to never, ever stop learning.

John--You've heard the saying, "From your mouth to God's ear!"
I can only see the ocean between me and Paris. But thanks so much as always.

Chris--One thing I figured out is that a LOT of how feet relate to the surface they're on is accurately getting the width and shape of the shadow under them.

And I have to work hard. The Forumites have set the bar pretty high!

Thanks to all--T

Thanks, Tom. ....and talk about setting the bar high. This just might be the best little-girl-in-a-white-dress portrait that I've ever seen.

Thanks, Michele.

Garth's "Arianna and Taylor" is pretty much the end of the discussion for me.

From Tom's brush to my eyes ...

Congratulations Tom.

Mike, thanks. I guess once in a while us old dogs....